Gun Free Zones - Boon or Tragedy?

Are people who work creating gun free zones making us safer or are they just using our fears to manipulate us into giving up more of our freedoms to their ever more intrusive rules? Rules and laws that are used to control who we are and how we live. Remember 9/11? September 11, 2001 happened because some of us fear competent, trained, law abiding citizens who carry a concealed firearm. Especially a concealed weapon on an airplane. Some people would tremble in fear if they thought the person next to them on an airplane was carrying a concealed firearm. This irrational fear exists despite the fact that people who have been issued a Concealed Carry Weapons permit in our country have proven to be some of the most law abiding honest rational citizens in our country. What price have we paid for this unreasonable fear? Almost 3,000 of our people died on September 11, 2001 because there were no law abiding citizens there with Concealed Carry Weapons permits and firearms to stop the 20 deranged jihadi Muslims as they used box cutters to commandeer 4 of our commercial airplanes and then flew three of these airplanes into three of our high profile buildings. We didn't lack for heroes as was proven on that fourth airplane. We allowed fear to interfere with our faith in our fellow law abiding citizens.

Consider this: everyday that we climb into our cars and drive upon our highways we are demonstrating a great faith in the ability of our fellow citizens to act rationally and competently. Mostly that faith is rewarded. A car is as deadly a weapon as any concealed carry firearm.

More unintended consequences: since 9/11 we have lost over 3,000 more of our best and brightest citizens while they were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan because we have allowed our fears to create gun free zones. Wars that would not have happened without the mass murder that occurred on 9/11/2001 by suicidal jihadists. A mass murder that could have been prevented by law abiding citizens with Concealed Carry Weapons permits and firearms. That's some 6000 dead and counting because we don't trust our fellow law abiding citizens. Tens of thousands have lost body parts or been otherwise debilitated in the Mideast war because we allowed our fear to interfere with our faith in our fellow competent law abiding citizens. Many more of our citizens have had their lives disrupted because they were needed to fight our current war.

Thousands more are suffering from lung illnesses and respiratory diseases caused by the soot and toxins spewed into the air when the World Trade Center Buildings collapsed. Some have developed cancer. Too many people have died since 9/11 and more will die because they have breathed the contaminated air created by handful of Jihadi Muslims who set out to kill some infidels. A disaster that occurred because of our gun free zones. A few defensive firearms in the hands of law abiding qualified American citizens could have prevented the worst attack America has experienced on its own soil. An attack that could have been curtailed with the application of a little common sense, a little courage. No one is being held accountable for leaving our citizens helpless in the gun free zones created by pandering weak kneed politicians. How many more of these tragedies will it take before enough Americans start demanding that politicians stop undermining our Bill of Rights and give us a country where deranged madmen no longer have a safe window of opportunity to kill and injure scores of our citizens. Unjustified fear continues to take its toll on the fabric of our society.

Some might say, "Well, Saddam Hussein and his two sons would still be alive and inflicting their terror on the citizens of Iraq." Small consolation to the thousands of families that have been and will continue to pay the price that is demanded when any war is fought. Also, remember if Saddam Hussein were alive, he would still be selling oil illegally on the black market. We would still be paying $1.50 per gallon for gas as he continued to undercut his competition in order to illegally sell Iraqi oil on the World market. I argue another cost of our fear of guns is paying $3.00 plus per gallon of gas. How about the billions of dollars we have spent on executing the war. How much healthier would our country be today if those resources had been used creatively and productively, instead of squandered on a war that I argue could have been prevented if we had exhibited a little more faith in our fellow law abiding citizens. The fear that leads us to create gun free zones has been very costly. Very costly indeed! Gun Free Zones have many unintended consequences. President Franklin D. Roosevelt may have said it best, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself."

I wouldn't have written this article if I didn't see a solution to our problem in Iraq. I believe our goal is to allow a society to develop in Iraq that is controlled by its citizens. I believe we want a government in Iraq that is accountable to its citizens and not a government ruled by a dictator that can be manipulated by outside forces or toppled by a coup d'etat. Residents of a country need to feel empowered and to be empowered if they wish to be citizens. Having the right to vote for your leaders is one of the key elements in being a citizen and not a subject of the government which runs your country. Being able to freely express yourself with your speech and your writings is also essential if the citizens are going to control their government. To be a citizen you must feel safe and secure in your own home. Free of unlawful and undeserved intrusion by your government or any criminal element. The people of Iraq will need to feel they are invested in their government and have the ability to control their destiny. We cannot give this to them. Iraqi citizens need to learn to live peacefully with each other. They must be willing to pay the price of being good citizens. Citizens need to believe they have earned the right to control their own destiny or that their own god has given them that right. The one right a human being must have in order to be a citizen is the right to have a firearm that can be used to defend oneself and one's family against any criminal who would use force to take one's life or the life of loved ones. A weapon that when owned and possessed by most citizens will discourage any government from violating, infringing or abridging by force any of the other rights of its honest law abiding citizens. A weapon that when owned by most citizens, will discourage any foreign invader from even thinking about attacking its neighbor. A government cannot realistically build an army big enough to take away the rights of all its citizens when those citizens are well versed in the use of firearms and have a legal right to possess a firearm and accompanying ammunition. We, the U.S.A., need to arm every willing, adult, law abiding Iraqi man and woman with say a 9 millimeter firearm and provide each of these Iraqi citizens with 1000 rounds of ammunition. A 9mm is probably not the best weapon to carry into a combat situation. But if your hiding and protecting yourself and your family a 9 mm firearm can be an effective deterrent when legally owned by each responsible adult in your community. Our military can teach each Iraqi man and woman how to safely and effectively use their new firearm. We may want to teach a few law abiding mechanically inclined Iraqi citizens how to repair 9 mm firearms and give them the tools and parts to keep all 9 mm firearms in good working condition. Regular target practice being mandatory for a couple of months. In a short time there will only be peace loving Iraqi citizens. Citizens who respect the rights and the space of their fellow citizens. Citizens who have earned the right to feel safe and secure in their homes. Citizens who will not allow another Saddam Hussein to terrorize and murder their law abiding friends and family. You will have an Iraq that will take a responsible roll in the Mideast. A country that wants peace, a country that will not allow another country to invade it. A country that may choose Freedom!

Lincoln Pickard

P.S. We might also consider standing up the Iraqi army and making them self sufficient as suggested by presidential candidate Duncan Hunter.